Strike threat: ASUU, VCs decry Profs’ N525,000 monthly pay
Following the conclusion of its nationwide protests on Tuesday, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities are set to hold congresses to decide their next line of action, The PUNCH reports.
This comes as the Federal Government meets today to address long-standing agitations over the implementation of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, which triggered nationwide protests across universities on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the President Bola Tinubu administration released N50bn to settle earned academic allowances owed to university lecturers and staff.
However, ASUU has consistently demanded clear commitments on improved salaries, conditions of service, university funding, autonomy, and a review of laws governing the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
The meeting, expected to be attended by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi; and representatives of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, is expected to produce a timetable for signing and the phased implementation of the renegotiated agreement, along with related reports.
Government sources in the Education and Labour ministries told The PUNCH that today’s discussions would focus on reconciling the Yayale Ahmed committee draft concluded in December 2024 with the original 2009 agreement and subsequent recommendations, including the Nimi Briggs report.
Also on the table is how to phase the fiscal commitments into the national budget and produce a legally binding instrument for signature.
Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, ASUU president, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the union expected commitment from the government.
“I truly hope they will come up with something tangible. Our members are tired of words and no action.”
Piwuna, however, clarified that ASUU was not invited for today’s meeting.
Piwuna affirmed that the union was done with nationwide protests and was poised to hold congresses to decide on its next line of action.
“We don’t have any meeting with the Federal Government tomorrow (today). It’s their meeting, we’re not involved. We have not received any invitation yet for a meeting with the Federal Government.
“However, we’ll let Nigerians know our next line of action after the protests. We operate from the bottom up. The protests are over, so we’ll go back to our members and ask them what is next, and we’ll do exactly what they want us to do as elected representatives,” Piwuna said.
Ahead of Tuesday’s protests, ASUU branches had warned that their patience was exhausted after the renegotiation concluded in December 2024 and was formally submitted to the government in February.
At a press conference in Abuja, ASUU’s Abuja zonal coordinator, Prof. Al-Amin Abdullahi, said the union had fulfilled its part of the bargain and expected the government to adopt the report without delay.
He noted that earlier reports never advanced beyond “filing cabinets” and stressed that failure to act could trigger another shutdown of public universities.
ASUU had also rejected the government’s offer of loan-style “support funds” in place of cash entitlements.
Today’s meeting comes as ASUU members had consistently lamented poor pay, worsening state of academics, with professors earning about N500,000 monthly, sleeping in officers ‘ quarters, and reportedly struggling to join buses meant for students.
Documents obtained by The PUNCH show that under the Consolidated University Academic Salary structure, Graduate Assistants earn between N125,000 and N138,020 monthly, while professors earn between N525,010 and N633,333.
Assistant Lecturers earn between N150,000 and N171,487; Lecturer II (N186,543–N209,693); Lecturer I (N239,292–N281,956); Senior Lecturer (N386,101–N480,780); and Readers (N436,392–N522,212).
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, lamented the erosion of morale among lecturers.
